Well someone once said that the M-1 was was just a glorified subway car. So Mr. Glueck, I take it you liked the old MP-54's and 75's better?

I don't think the DE/DM loco is a bad looking unit. But my all-time favorite LIRR loco was the old Fairbanks-Morse covered wagons numbered 2001+ from when I was a kid in the 1950's and early 60's. Though I liked their replacement road-switchers too, I missed those F-M's.

Constance, don't be sorry. I was tweaking people by the nose intentionally. For those of you who are not old enough to remember the 50's and 60's, allow me to state, we took for granted what railfans would kill to see today. The LIRR was spotted with five individual designs of MU cars, of which I can recall, and varieties therein as well. The FM's were the throatiest Diesels I can remember. I wish I knew more about them then, other than just watching them speed through! We had five varieties of ALCO locomotives, six if you counted the L2's as a separate species. Oh, I forgot to mention the Baldwin switchers and the NH locomotives! Riding into the East River tunnels, you passed Sunnyside Yard which was a pinata of colored passenger cars, plus GG1's, B1's, and P5a's racing back and forth. Rarely, you might spot one of a several remaining DD1's. Long Island parlors wore blue stripes and were heavyweights, other cars either had orange stripes or no stripes at all. Then you got to see Sperry cars, Turbines, and other occasional oddities. A group of us would plant ourselves on the line, usually around Nassau Tower, between 5PM and 7:30PM on a July Friday night, Yashica A's in hand and squeeze off two or three rolls of B&W film, then process them and share the next week.

I am fortunate to remember the final steam powered commuter trains, but just as a memory.

I don't doubt the service and equipment is probably safer today, probably economized, but more expensive, and the need for railroad structures and yard's minimized. I doubt anyone in richer for it.

Backshophoss wrote:LIRR needs to replace its worn out MP-15's and SW 1001's,along with the GP-38-2's on lease to NY&A.While MTA is buying tier IV freight power for NY&A,LIRR might look at Brookville to come up with a SW1001 replacement for ESA and Atlantic Branchrescue/work service, and some BL20G's as multi use branch passenger/work train/rescue/switching power.You really cannot switch with a Charger!

The work locomotive fleet is going to be replaced as part of the 2010-2014 Capital Program. The engines leased to NYAR will be replaced as part of this project as well. MTA Capital Construction is funding the procurement of new protect locomotives. The LIRR and MTA CC are in the process of developing specs for two new protect locomotives with an envelop that will enable them to fit in the ESA tunnels.

Replacements for the NY&A fleet were being purchased until a few lunatic homeowners in glendale said they weren't good enough. Apparently the geniuses at MTA HQ believe these homeowners know more about moving trains than LIRR or NY&A do.

[quote="RGlueck"]"...The LIRR was spotted with five individual designs of MU cars, of which I can recall, and varieties therein as well. The FM's were the throatiest Diesels I can remember. I wish I knew more about them then, other than just watching them speed through! We had five varieties of ALCO locomotives, six if you counted the L2's as a separate species. I am fortunate to remember the final steam powered commuter trains, but just as a memory...." quote]

If only FME (Fairbanks Morse Engine) could be convinced to re-enter the railroad business, what a treat that would be especially with their new Tier 4 compliant "Trident" OP design. The age of diesels with charming aesthetics and railroads with sheer class are long gone from memory. The biggest mistake MTA ever did was turning its backs on the summer parlor car service but that's a story for another day. They need to reach out and ask rail professionals for good advice, it's starting to haunt them I think. Another engine that will last them half a century is what they require like those old Alcos. Real American engineering right here by FM:http://www.tridentop.com/

Some might dismiss it as political whiffle but it seems like there's quite a bit of political support behind it's goals. At least that's what I can infer from MTA's capital dashboard including a Brookhaven National Lab station and last month's start of planning for a Port Jefferson Branch electric yard. Additionally, MTA's 2035 plan (though somewhat older and now outdated) called for electrification of 16 stations which aligns with this.

Could you explain a little more about the Glendale homeowners? What happened?

As mentioned, CURES, the NIMBY group who were shocked to learn one day that their homes were built near an already existing freight yard, pitched a hissy-fit when the first two of the new locomotives arrived. When ordered, "Tier 3" locomotives were basically the standard in environmental standards. Since this was a joint-order between NYA and LIRR and these would be mainline engines of a type never built before, by the time they were built, "Tier 4" locomotive technology was available.

According to CURES, since Tier 4 is a larger number than Tier 3, they went crazy and got local politicians to hold up the rest of the order.

The irony is the diesel emissions has been a main rallying cry for this group, and instead of the older "dirty" locomotives getting replaced by cleaner, newer locomotives, they are more than content now to have "Tier 0" locomotives chugging around the yard while replacements are sought.